Weather seal for closures



` A.v G. DEAN WEATHER-SEAL FOR cLosUREs Oct. 14, 1952 2` SHEETSfSi-IEETl Filed Aug. '18, 1949l INVENTOR. Allam- G. Dean A TTORNE Y Oct. 14,1952 A. G. DEAN HEATHER SEAL F'R cLosUREs 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed mg. 18,1949 BY JNVENToR Alberi GnDearL ATToR/VEY Patented Oct. 14, 1952 jUNITED STATES PATENT oFFicfE y i WEATHER SEAL FOR CLOSURES vAlbertY(in-Dean, AlIrarberth,fla., assignor to-The Budd Company, Philadelphia,Pa., a 'corporation of Pennsylvania lApplication.August 18, 1949,Serial-No. 111,011

4 Claims.

This inventionrelates to weather seals for closui-es, .particularly asapplied to the lclosures of a vehicle vestibule having `side andtrapdoors, and has .for an object the provision of improve,-

v2 Fig-9 is an elevation andsection takenon the line 9--9 ofFig. 8;

Fig. v10 is a partial enlarged horizontal section showing parts in thearea lll of Fig. 2;

ments in this art, Fig. 1.1 is an velevation and section takenon One ofthe particular objects of the invention the line lI-Il of Fig.

isto provideeomplete weatherstripping for aside Fig. `12y is a verticalsection taken on .the .1ine

door rand a trapdoor which have inter-related l2-I2 of Fig. 8; and lparts when closed. Fig. 13 is a vertical section taken on the linev,Another object is to provide Aweatherstripping 10 13--13 of Fig. l8. f

for such closures which will give the best possibleseal and yet have theleast possible wear.

Another object is to provide weatherstripping of an effective characterfor an extension which is` provided behind thev hinge line of a trapdoorfor cooperating with a vportion of a vestibule side door t0 fully seal.the'vestibule space on the'side and bottom.

`Another object is to provide an improved weather strip adapted forforming a tight weather seal and water shed, as for-the bottom of-a clo-5 4`Another object is to `provide a weather seal for a trapdoor whichcauses the load on the trapdoorlto be carried on strong structural partswhile causing the weather strip to be relieved of all loads except Vthat`required. to form the weather seal. 1

A preferred embodiment of vthe invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, where` Fig. 1 is a side'elevation-ofione end-'ofia'rail car having end -vestibule closures sealed inaccordance with'thepresent invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view takenabout on'the lineI 2-2 of Fig. 1, showing the-vestibule 'floor and' trapdcor, with the side vdoor and other partsshown in section, both doorsbeing-fully closed to seal the vestibuleVspace;

Fig. 3Vis 'an inside elevation 'and transverse section takenabout on theline 3-3-of Fig. 2 but showing both the side door and the trapdoor inopen positions;

...Figli isa horizontal section taken on the same lineas Fig. 2 butshowing the side door' open and the trapdoor closed;

Fig/5 is lan :enlarged vertical section taken on the line 5--5 of Fig.2;

Fig. 6 is-an .enlarged vertical section taken on the line 6-6 of Fg.2;

Fig. 7 is a partial section taken on the same line las Figy but showingthe side door vjust before it reaches its fully closed position.;

Fig. 8 is apartial enlarged horizontal section showing parts .inthearea8 of Fig..2;

It has `for a long time been desirable and usual to seal as .manyopenings as possible on pas-A senger vehicles to exclude cold air,rain,` snow. dust andthe like. In recent years this has become moreimportant as rail cars, particularly, have come to be more commonly airconditioned. It may be desirable to pressurize the car interior orvestibule, or both, to more positively exclude dust. etc., and themoreeiiective is the sealI at openings in the vestibule, the easier itis to prevent excessive outward air leakage and to maintain` theinterior air pressure. The car ends around the vestibule and steps areparticularly diiiicult to seal because of the `manner in which aircurrents swirl around and even upward about the ends of the car. Thepresent inventionprovides a tight seal between the trapdoor'and itsframe in the floor, between the side doorand its frame, and between vthetrapdoorand the side door. If, in addition, the space below Ithetrapdoor, referred to as the stepwell, is also venclosed or bothenclosed and sealed, the interior vestibule space will be `made moresecure, 4but the present inventionprovides an adequate seal for thevestibule space, whetheror not the stepwell is enclosed or sealed.

Referring to the drawings, and first to Fig. 1, a car I 5 having an endvestibule is provided with a vside vestibule door I 6 above a trapdoorl1, the outer edge 'only of which can be seen in Fig. 1. In theillustrated arrangement the stepwell space is closed beneath bythevsteps l(not shown) and on the outer side 'by a cover and fairingpanel I8 when the parts are in `non- `loading or running condition.Also, in the present form, the door is made in two parts, `lower andupper, and provided on the top, side, and intermediate jointportionswith weather excluding land sealing means of the type disclosed in myCOQ-pending application, Serial No. 69,856, iiled January 8, 1949.

In Fig. 2 the trapdoor Il is shown in closed position, having been swungdown about its interflngered piano-type hinge mounting I9 and being helddown in closed position by a latch 20. In Fig. 3 the trapdoor is shownin raised position where it is held by a latch 2l carried by the lowerpanel of the side door I6. the side door being rst swung back againstthe inside end vestibule wall 2. The side door hinge 23, as shown inFig. 2, is located nearer the Wall 22 than the trapdoor hinge I9 wherebythe proper operation of these doors relative to each other may beeiected. The side edge Weatherstrips 24 and 25 for the side door arealso shown in Fig. 2.

On its under side, Fig. 3, the trapdoor II on three sides is providedwith weather stripping, a strip 28 on the inner edge, a strip 29 on thefront edge. and a strip 30 on the rear or hinge edge. As shown in Figs.and 6, the weatherstripping is of a bulbous type, for example a foldedrubber strip, secured along a flat portion thereof by a metal strip 3|and screws 32. These strips 28, 29 and 30 engage inwardly tapered sides33, 34 and 35resp`ectively of the frame of the vestibule floor 36 withwhich the trapdoor cooperates.

The strips are disposed beneath adjacent parts which cause them to bepressed against the tapered `frame sides but without imposing the weightof the trapdoor and its loading on the weatherstrips, the door beingsupported when lowered by its projecting anges 38 and 39, which rest onthe oor, and flange element 40'which is supported by the hinge I9. Thestrip 28 is pushed down by the flange 38, the strip 29 by the ange 3S,and the strip 30 by being forced beneath the hinge I9.

No weatherstripping is shown for the outer bottom Aedge of the trapdoor,that being a matter dealt with in connection with the stepwell closurepanel I8. As stated above, the sealing means h'erebyprovided completelycloses this part of the. vestibule space which serves the passengers useand whether or not the stepwell is sealed will depend on thedesirability or necessity for keeping dust, snow, rain or the like outof the stepwell, a matter relating to the koperability and cleanlinessof the steps and related parts when required for passenger use.

The trapdoor I1 on its upper surface and at its outer edge carries athreshold strip 43 which is approximately as long as the width of theside door I6 at the widest ange portions ISa of the door, as shown inFigs. 2, 8, 9, 10, l1 and 13, whereby the ends of the thresholdstrippress against and form a seal with the door-side weatherstrips 24 and 25when the trapdoor is closed, as shown especially in Figs. 4, 9, ll and13. Since the side door extends further on the hinge side toward theinner end vestibule wall and folds behind thetra-pdoor,` anextensionbehind the hinge axis is provided on the trapdoor beneath theside ldoor, the extension in the present case being provided by the.threshold strip 43 itself.

As shown in Figs. 12 and i3, a piece of weatherstripping 45 is securedbeneath this rearward extension in a position to rub on its side along avertical frame face 46 and to have its end rub along the side of thedoor framebetween the face 46 Aand the side weatherstrip 24 of the sidedoor. As shown in Fig. 9, the weatherstrip 24 partly abuts the strip 45when the latter is moved up by the closing of the trapdoor. Also, asshown in Figs. 12 and 13, the rear weatherstrip 30 of the trapdoorextends across and seals with the weatherstrip 45. It is thus seen thatthe seal at this corner projection is complete and continuous with theweather seal on the adjacent rear side ofthe trapdoor.

The joint details of the weatherstripping shown in Fig. 3 should benoted. At the inner front corner between the strips 28 and 29, where thetapered frame sides push both inward and upward on the two strips byabout the same amount. a mitered joint is provided with an edge of onepiece tucked into the hollow of thel other piece, as shown at the dottedportion 41; and at the inner rear cornerV where the vinner 'edge'strip28 is pushed inward and upward and the rear edge strip 30 is pushedinward and downward, an overlapped joint is provided to allow the endsof the two strips to engage adjacent tapered walls and form a tightcorner seal in spite of the fact that the two strips may be at differentlevels when the trapdoor is closed.

The seal for the bottom edge of the side door above the threshold 43provides a good water shed as well as a seal. As shown in Fig. 6, thethreshold 43 includes an elevated obtuse corner element 50 having anoutwardly sloping upper'surface 5I and an inwardly sloping inner surface52. The bottom of the door has a hollow 'space 53 with a narrow outerslot 54 between door and sill to kill the velocity of enteringair; andon the inner side of the hollow space 'above the drip line of water, thedoor is provided with a weatherstrip 55. This general `arrangement isshown inithe application referred to above. The weatherstrip itself andits action are new over lthe application.

The strip 55 is Y-shapedr in cross-section and is mounted in an invertedposition, as by securing its stem 55a to the inside surface of the'doorby a clamp strip 56. The V-shaped portion,`which includes the outer leg55h and the inner leg 55o, is adapted to straddle the obtuse angularportion 50 when the door is closed, the outer leg 55h formingprincipally a water shed which may'or may not engage closely the slopingsurface 5I. The relationshipbetween door and threshold-may be such thatthe leg 55h does engage the surface 5I tightly, in which case a doubleseal is provided. The arrangement is such that in any event a tight sealwill be provided vbetween the inner leg 55e and thev upper surface 5D.The leg 55h `in the case of a double seal still serves as a water shedto drain water away from the primary 'seal'.

In Fig. 7 the strip 55 is shown in an approach position. Here, due tothe curved configuration of the rubber strip, the outer leg 55h normallystands in approximately horizonta1 position and at a higher velevationthan the inner leg 55e so that-it moves over and past-the corner 50.Then the inner legcomes against the inner threshold ,l surface 52 .andthe continued closing movement of the door causes the louter leg 55htobe forced down toward the upper outer surface 5| to form a water shed,and if forced down enough to form a water seal as well as a water shed,as explained. The ends of the Y-shaped strip 55 wedge between the sidestrips 24 and 25 when the side door is closed.

In action, starting with both the side door and trapdoor in openposition, the trapdooris iirst closed and latched, the weatherstrippingon the inner and front sides being engaged with 'the rtapered inner andfront frame. walls in this action and the rear weatherstripping beingengaged with the tapered rear wall. The flanges 38 and 39 push theweatherstrips 28 and 29 down and the hinge I9 causes the rearweatherstrip 3'0 to move down. The corner joints and the extensionweatherstripping maintain a tight seal all around except on top ofthetrapdoo The flanges 38 and 39 come to 'rest on the floor and, togetherwith the hinge I9 take the weight of the trapdoor and all the load thatmay be imposed upon it, the weatherstripping taking none of this loadand consequently having no damage in use from such loading.

The side door is now closed to seal all sides, top, and bottom by theweatherstripping provided. It has already been seen how the Y-,shapedbottom weatherstrip 55 engages the threshold strip and forms a seal andwater shed when the side door is closed.

While one embodiment is disclosed in detail, it is to be understood thatthere may be other embodiments within the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Closure weatherproong for a side door and trapdoor of a vestibule,comprising in combination, a side door hinged at the inner endvestibulel wall, a trapdoor hinged forwardly of the side door hinge linewhereby to swing up in front of the side door and to swing down belowit, weatherstripping on the frame for the sides of the side door andextending below the trapdoor, weatherstripping on the inner side, frontside, and rear hinge side of the trapdoor, a threshold on the topsurface of the trapdoor beneath the side door when closed, the thresholdhaving a projecting end extending behind the hinge line of the trapdoor,the ends of said threshold engaging the door side weatherstripping whenthe trapdoor is closed, weatherstripping on the bottom of the side doorcooperating with said threshold to form an air and Water excluding sealtherewith, the weatherstripping on the bottom of the door engaging andforming a seal at its ends with the weatherstripping for the sides ofthe side door, and weathern stripping on the side of the projecting rearend of the threshold cooperating and sealing with a mating xed sidesurface behind the hinge line and atthe end with the sideweatherstrippngv for the hinge side of the side door.

2. Closure weatherproong for a rst vertically hinged closure and asecond horizontally hinged closure positioned below the first closure,the horizontal hinge axis of the second closure being located in frontof and being disposed transversely relative to the vertical hinge axisof thesecond closure, the second closure being adapted to swing up infront of the first closure when both are opened, weatherstripping forthe rst clos ure including side strips secured to its frame andextending below the seco-nd closure, Weatherstripping for the lower sideof the second closure on its sides other than the side beneath the rstclosure, a raised element in the nature of a threshold on the uppersurface of said second closure, weatherstripping on the bottom of saidrst closure cooperating with said raised element and at its endsengaging the weatherstripping for the sides of the iirst closure. thesecond closure having an extension rearwardly of its hinge line, theends of said raised element of the second closure engaging the sideWeatherstripping of the firstclosure when the second closure is closed,and weatherstripping on the side of said extension cooperating with amatingxed side surface behind the hinge line of the second closure, theweatherstripping for the rear or hinge side of said rst closure makingsealing engagement between the Weatherstripping on the bottom of theilrst closure and weatherstripping of said second closure. v

3. Closure weatherprooiing construction as set forth in claim 2, furthercharacterized by the fact that said weatherstrip-ping on said rearwardextension has a sliding movement along an adjacent vertical side wall.

4. Closure weatherproong for the side door and trapdoor of a vehiclevestibule, comprising in combination a side door hinged at the outerside of the vestibule, a trapdoorhinged inside the hinge line of theside door whereby to swing up in front of the side door and to swingdown below it, weatherstripping on the frame for the sides of the sidedoor, weatherstripping for the bottom surface edges of the trapdooron'the inner, hinge and closing edges, a raised strip in the nature of athreshold on the top surface of the trapdoor at the outer edge, andweatherstripping von the bottom of said side door, said bottomweatherstripping being Y-shaped with the stem upward and the llegs ofthe V-portion downward, one leg standing above the raised strip beforethe side door is closed and being moved down toward the strip as thedoor closes, the bottom weatherstripping of the side door at its outeredge at the endsv engaging the door side weatherstripping when thetrapdoor and side door are closed.

ALBERT G. DEAN.

REFERNCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,928,602 Mussey et al Sept. 26,1933 2,059,674 Wood et al. iNov. 3, 1936 2,108,137 Oftedal et al. Feb.l5, 1938 2,167,953 Oftedal et al. Aug. 1, 1939 2,220,035 Brack Oct. 29,1940 2,379,193 `Shields June 26, 1945 2,421,400 Young June 3, 19472,546,626 Beezhold Mar. 27, 1951 2,549,234 Baker Apr. 17, 1951 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 581,038 Germany July 20, 1933 794,152 FranceDec. 2, 1935

